New Employment Numbers Show Steep Losses in Construction Nationwide
July 20, 2009

Construction workers continued to bear the pain of steep job losses almost everywhere in June, as construction employment rose only in North Dakota (by 5 percent) and Louisiana (4 percent), compared to June 2008, according to new data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Jobs disappeared in the remaining 48 states and the District of Columbia, with losses as great as 26 percent in Arizona, 23 percent in Nevada, 22 percent in Connecticut and 20 percent in Tennessee, says Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America.

"The Recovery Act will start mitigating job losses in all states for the rest of the year and into 2010," says Simonson. "But the worsening state and local fiscal picture, along with continued sluggishness in the private sector, means that nonresidential construction work will keep shrinking."

He continues, "Single-family homebuilders appear finally to have touched bottom and should begin hiring on net. However, the multi-family market remains moribund, with weak demand, excessive supply in many states and no credit availability."

CLICK HERE for state-by-state construction employment information.

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